Magnetic amusement device



March 24, 1953 F. J. NEUZERLING I MAGNETIC AMUSEMENT DEVICE- Filed Oct. 17. 1949 Patented Mar. 24,.1953

UNITED STATES PATENT oFFlcE MAGNETIC AMUSEMENT DEVICE Francis J. N euzerling, Milwaukee, Wis.

Application `October 17, 1949, Serial No. 121,675 2 claims. (C1. 273-108) This invention relates to a magnetic amusement device requiring playing skill.

The instant device is an improvement on and utilizes the basic principles of the game shown vin myPatent No. 2,463,795. Thus the instant `a game, -the adaptation in my patent is subject -to some objection in thatit employed four game pieces and four control magnets, making a to- I tal of eight magnets. To obtain equal operating characteristics all the magnets had to be of equal strength. Furthermore, each control magnet required a separate regulator, thus complicating the structure. The combination of relatively complex structure and the necessary vnumber of equal strength bar-type magnets resulted in too high a manufacturing cost.

N An' object of this invention is to provide a game having a simple construction and requiring but a fewmagnets while employing the basic idea of my said patent.

Another object is to provide a magnetic amusement device of the type described which may be produced at lower cost.

Still another object is to provide a game of A the type described which requires more playing 'skill than necessary in the game of said patent. A further object is to provide a game of the type described which has many possible variants of the playing rules.

A still further object is to provide a game of the class described which may readliy be changed to vary the degree of skill required of the players.

Other objects and advantages will be pointed out in, or be apparent from, the specication and claims, as will obvious modications of the lii single embodiment shown in the drawings, in 4 which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of my improved game;

Fig.2 is a cross section taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1; and

Figs. 3 through 6 diagrammatically illustrate the principle of operation.

f The above objects and advantages are obtained by providing a game piece I0 including a 'lyrotating the control panel.

bar-type permanent magnet I2 and adapted to travel in either direction about a circular course on the cardboard top panel or playing board I4 under the control of either of the two magnets I6, I8 mounted in and carried by the rotatable cardboard control panel 20. The control panel 20 is rotatably mounted on an axle 22 and sandwiched between the top panel I4 and a cardboard bottom panel `24. The axle 22 is mounted in and held upright by a base member 26, and the panels are retained within predetermined limits on the axis of the axle by means of a grommet 28 tting about the upper end of the axle. The peripheral edges of the top and bottom panels t within the channel 30 of the mitered wood frame 32. Thus the frame 32 serves to keep the top and bottom panelsrfrom rotating and to strengthen the assembly. The control panel 20` may be of such diameter as to project into the channelsll on the frame.

The top panel I4 is provided with a plurality of arcuate slots or apertures 34 giving the players access to the rotatable control panel 20 which is punched at a plurality of circumferentially spaced points in alignment with the apertures to provide a convenient nger hold for manual- Thus any con-l venient hole 36 in the control panel 20 may be utilized to rotate the carrier and cause the magnets I6, I8 mounted in the carrier to move in a circular path about the central axis. The game piece I0 may be placed under control of one or 'the other of the rotatable magnets to move the piece in the desired direction. As will be explained more fully hereinafter, the bar-type magnet I2 of the game piece I Il will align with either of the bar-type rotatable magnets I6, I8

ywith unlike poles superimposed. With this in mind, either the south or the north poles ofthe rotatable magnets aremadeto face each other so thatthev game' piece, here shown in the form Lis adapted to travel is provided with a plurality Vof generally radially positioned obstacles or hurdles 38. It will be obvious that the game piece must climb over each obstacle in order to continue its movement in a given direction.

The manner in which the game piece is made to clear the obstacle is best understood by re- .to one side at the obstacle.

3 ferring to Figs. 3 through 6. Assuming the north pole of the game piece to be over the south pole of the control magnet, the forward movement of the game piece is interrupted when it strikes the obstacle 3B (Fig. 3). Continued movement of the control magnet brings the south pole of the control magnet under the south pole of the game piece (Fig. 4) until the repulsion force between the south poles causes the south pole of the garnepiece to rise up to a greater height than the obstacle (Fig. 5). At this time, if the north pole of the control magnet is not too remote from the south pole of the game piece, the force of attraction between the dissimilar. poles will be suflicient to slide the game piece over the obstacle (Fig. 6). If, however, .the rate ofseparation or the rate of relativey movement between the two magnets is toogreat, the game piece will merely balk and end up resting'onthe obstacle or facing one side or the other requiring the contro-l magnet to be backed up to regain control of the game piece.

While this basic concept was embodied in my patent mentioned' above, thegame course in the patent constitutedV a straight line path and the obstacles were substantially perpendicular to the path. In the instant embodiment, however., the circular path travelled by the game piece introduces an angularity between the obstacles and the game piece. This angularity introduces a tendency to the game piece to balk or ride off The course radius may be decreased or the positioning of the control magnets or the obstacles may be varied to increase this angularity to make the game more diicult. It will be apparent, therefore, -that the present embodiment permits of many variations affecting the ease of play. l

The utilization of two control magnets permits the direction of movement of the game piece to be changed. Considerable skill is required `for this maneuver. Assuming the game piece to be left under 'control of control magnet I5 and `the desired direction of rotation to be -counterclockwise, it is first necessary for the player to take magnet I6 out of control of the game piece and then put magnet I8 into control. The magnet Hi may be taken out of control by simply backing the game piece against an obstacle and then continuing rotation rapidly so that therate of separation between the two magnets is too skill, permits of many variations in the playing rules. The cast of a die may indicate the direction and the `'number of attempts at hurdling that may 4be taken by a player by marking the die with numerals-colored to correspond with thedirectonal arrows 4Z, lili on the playing surface. Foints may be given'for successful hurdles and penalties meted out for 'unsuccessful attempts. If desired; Ysuitable cards may lbe employed alone or in conjunction with the die to add further interest to the game. Another variant would be to require that any player ending play with the lgame piece .resting in a starred space, as in Fig. 1, draw from a stack of cards giving bonuses or meting out penalties. These examples will serve to indicate the almost endless variations of the rules of play. To start the gaine the game piece may be placed in the space containing the three-pointed fragment of the star and the control panel 20 rotated until the two-pointed fragment carried thereby is matched with the stationary fragment. At this time the control magnets will be positioned as shown in Fig. 1. When the direction of play has been determined, the control panel 20 is rotated in that direction to move the desired control magnet under the game piece. The twopointed star fragment on the control panel serves at all times to indicate the position of the control magnets.

Thus the present game is capable of many variations affecting the playing skill and the rules. Furthermore, more skill is required in the play through provisionof means for reversing the direction of movement. The construction is simpler than that shown in my above- .mentioned patent .and fewer magnets are required. Since all players use the same magnets they need not be of equal strength.

While .the panels are cardboard it is obvious that other nonmagnetic materials may be used. Similarly, the framer need not be wood. If desired the obstacles could be integral with the playing board. The height of thel obstacles is governed to a large extent by the strength of the magnets. Since various changes may be made Awithin the spirit of vthisrinvention' the scope is to be limited only by the claims.

I claim;

l. In an amusement device utilizing a game piece including a `bar-type magnet and adapted to slide over a playing board under the attractive influence of a bar-type control magnet, a non-magnetic playing board having a circular course for said .game piece, a control panel rotatably mounted below said board, a pair of bartype control magnets mounted in end-to-end relation on and carried by said panel for movement in a circular path beneath and in axial alignment with said circular course, said control magnets being circumferentially spaced, the longitudinal axis of each of said control magnets being Agenerally aligned along an arc concentric with said circular coursev and similar poles of said control magnets being disposed in opposite directions so that `one control magnet may move said game piece forwardly around said .course in a clockwise direction -and the other control magnet may move said game piece forwardly about said course in a counter-clockwise direction, un-

like poles of said game piece and the controlling control magnet being superimposed to develop the attractive force by which the game piece is moved, and a` plurality of` generally radially disposed. hurdles iixed` to said playing board at spaced poi-nts in said course, said hurdle being high Yenough to .arrest sliding movement of said game piece while the control magnet is moved relative to the pieceS to bring like poles of the game piece and of the control magnet into opposition and being low enough to permit an end of the `game piece to slide over its top when such end is raised by repulsion between like poles of said piece and control magnet. y

2. An amusement device comprising, a stationary playing board, a control panel movable under said board, means mounting said control panel for movement in opposite directions along 5 a predetermined path relative to said playing board and beneath the same two generally aligned bar-type control magnets carried by said panel in spaced apart end-to-end relationship with their axes generally aligned and parallel to the path of movement of said control panel, the facing poles of said magnets being similar, a game piece including a bar-type magnet slidable forwardly over said board when the poles of its magnet aresuperimposed over unlike poles of one of said control magnets and said control panel is moved along said path in one direction, and a hurdle mounted on said board to arrest sliding movement of the game piece under the influence of the moving control magnet while said one control magnet continues to move in the same direction to bring like poles of the control magnet and game piece into opposition, said hurdle being low enough to permit said piece to slide over the hurdle when the repulsion between like magnetic poles raises an end of said piece, said control panel when moved in the opposite directioncausing the game piece to move rearwardly into contact with said hurdle, said hurdle serving as a barrier to arrest reverse movement of said piece under the control of said one control magnet when it is desired to place the other control magnet in control relation to the game piece to move the game piece forwardly in said opposite direction.

FRANCIS J. NEUZERLING.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the iile of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 546,171 Mantel Sept. 10, 1895 550,070 Fall Nov. 19, 1895 622,545 `Sclfioknecht et al. Apr. 4, 1899 1,714,839 Ashburn May 28, 1929 1,858,020 Linke May 10, 1932 2,138,532 Wobensmith Nov. 29, 1938 2,220,049 Dunmore Oct. 29, 1940 2,282,430 Smith May 12, 1942 2,463,795 'Neuzerling Mar. 8, 1949 

